The announcement of Will Smith being cast in the role of 'King Richard', father of Tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams has come as surprise. The actor recently pulled out of DC's Suicide Squad and is now being considered to have been locked for the much talked about role in the biopic based on the life of Williams sisters' father. The film which will be titled King Richard is set to showcase the inspiring story of a father with no formal tennis background raise two of the most world-renowned tennis stars. Smith has been cast to play the man who has been imperative to the careers of both Serena and Venus as the father who taught his daughters to play the sport since an early age.

Although, the actor's casting has met with some mixed responses. There is no doubt that an actor with a range like that of Smith can pull off any character but this casting has set off a debate on the whole colourism issue in Hollywood. Even those who have been fans of the actor have called this to be a 'poor casting choice'. The casting is receiving flak mainly because of Will's appearance being much different from Richard Williams, thus making fans question if there is a dearth of actors with a darker shade and why have they been passed off this opportunity. Will Smith Will Not Return As Deadshot for ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel.

Here are a few Twitter reactions on the same:

Another fan in support of Will's casting tweeted:

Fan raises an issue of colourism:

While there hasn't been an announcement on the casting of Serena and Venus' roles, fans have been asking the makers to be more careful. The film is being produced by Tim White and Trevor Write via their Star Thrower Entertainment banner as well as Smith himself will produce it through his Overbrook Entertainment banner.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2019 05:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).